CVS

At a special meeting held Tuesday, more than 98% of shares voted in favor of the $69 billion merger that CVS Health said it expects to close in the second half of 2018, pending regulatory approval.

At the recent DSN Industry Issues Summit in New York City retail executives confirmed that retailers must take action on many different fronts if they want to remain relevant and ultimately be successful.

The company’s efforts include a new program that offers drug cost transparency for patients, pharmacists and prescribers.

Rolled out last fall, the ScriptPath Prescription Schedule is designed to offer patients a consolidated view of their current prescriptions that outlines when and how to take each prescribed medication.

In the initial launch of the higi-Epic EHR integration, Rush patients who receive specialized care for hypertension will be able to measure their biometrics at one of 211 Chicago-area pharmacy locations.

The grants for 49 free and charitable health clinics in 24 states are aimed at improving the health of patients with such chronic conditions as diabetes and hypertension, the organization said.

The Woonsocket, R.I.-based healthcare company was ranked seventh on the Fast Company list of the 50 Most Innovative Companies, as well as No. 1 on its Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Health list.

As a result of the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the Woonsocket, R.I.-based company will be spending $425 million annually to improve employee wages and benefits, including plan to subsidize employee healthcare costs.